Eureka!

Google's View of a Failure

2008-06-13T21:11:00.001+08:00

So who is a failure according to our friendly neighborhood Google? Here's how to find out:

1. Open Google.com

2. Type "Who Is Failure" in the search box

3. Click "I am feeling lucky"

You'll be surprised with what you'll get. *wink*

Goodby Diablo for Good?

2008-05-22T10:37:00.002+08:00

I was a fan of the Diablo RPG Game series, and I thought a big badass game would have another sequel after the success of Diablo II. But it has been what, 8 years since that game was released? Nobody has heard anything about it for a while, although there have been some rumors that it was set for release sometime in 2007 (According to the Diablo Fans online community). Probably here's the reason why (from cracked.com):

Blizzard North, the division of the company devoted to the Diablo franchise, dissolved a few years back. Several Blizzard North employees subsequently formed their own company and started developing Hellgate: London, a game fans considered a spiritual successor to Diablo II right up until the moment it came out and they realized it was complete crap.

Oh well. It would have kicked ass. But all hope's not lost fellow gamers. Because Planet Diablo says the game's already in development. Something to look forward to, right?

The First Laser

2008-05-16T11:39:00.003+08:00

Today, 60 years ago, the first WORKING laser was made public. And because of that, Google has personalized their page today! Check out www.google.com to see what I mean!

Oh, and don't forget to click on the image to find out more about the history of the now multi-billion dollar business of lasers.

Water and Coke: Fact or Fiction?

2008-05-02T09:43:00.002+08:00

WATER

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population)
In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.
One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a ! printed page.
Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

COKE

In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China.
To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.

Animal Trivia II

2008-04-16T10:10:00.002+08:00

More Animal Trivia brought to you by Avilon Zoo at Montalban, Rizal Philippines!
If you happen to visit the Philippines, then don't miss this. It's the biggest zoo in Luzon and it has a variety of species of animals that you'll surely love to see.

Animal Trivia

2008-03-11T13:41:00.003+08:00

Going to the zoo last weekend was a great idea because there are several eureka! moments in almost every corner of the zoo. Here are a few discoveries I got during my trip:

Feline Reproductive System

2008-02-29T12:20:00.003+08:00

Did you know?

The male cat's penis has spines which point backwards. Upon withdrawal of the penis, the spines rake the walls of the female's vagina, which may cause ovulation. Because this does not always occur, females are rarely impregnated by the first male with which they mate. Furthermore, cats are superfecund; that is, a female may mate with more than one male when she is in heat, meaning different kittens in a litter may have different fathers. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat)

Wow, it must hurt being a female cat. That must be the reason why cats are so loud at night. And I always thought that a cat's cry meant ectoplasmic organisms were nearby. Next time I hear cats moaning, I'll definitely remember this so I won't get scared haha.

About:Credits

2008-02-27T12:15:00.002+08:00

Do you want to know who the people behind Mozilla Firefox are?
Well, here's the trick:

1. Open Firefox
2. In the address bar, type "About:Credits" without the quotes
3. Press ENTER

Voila! A list of those geniuses behind everyone's favorite browser is displayed.

Clever Inventions

2008-02-13T18:02:00.003+08:00

I got this email from a friend. :) If you think the Japanese have it all when it comes to craziest gadgets, then you haven't had enough! Here are more inventions that will make your life easier... or not!

1. CUP & COOKIES

Smart cup in which you can put 2-3 of your favourite cookies. You don't need extra plates. It's made for right handed and left handed.

2. BANANA GUARD - Protect Your Banana!

Are you fed up with bringing bananas to work or school only to find them bruised and squashed? Banana Guard allows you to safely transport and storage individual bananas letting you enjoy perfect bananas anytime, anywhere.

3. LOCK-CUP

Lock Cup - Anti-Theft Coffee Cup. Are you tired of others stealing your coffee cup? Well now there's a solution. The Lock - Cup has a hole which prevents most people from using it. Only the owner of the cup can use his/hers shaped key to close the hole.

4. PENGUIN TEA TIMER

Making tea, though easy to do, is also time consuming. Once you pour the hot water into the cup, you must patiently hover over it, waiting for the tea to steep. Well, the Penguin Tea Timer happily does the waiting for you.
Place your tea cup under the beak and set it to the desired time. As you turn the timer dial, the beak lowers the tea into the hot water. When time is up, a bell sounds and the penguin automatically lifts his beak, removing the tea bag from the water.

5. TRANSPARENT TOASTER

You love toast, but you always burn it? The n this invention us for you.
This transparent toaster allows you to see the bread while it is toasting so you just have to take it out when the colour is right. This idea is based on a transparent heating glass technology.

6. BUTTER CUTTER

One Click Butter Cutter controls your portion as an important part of staying healthy. This ingenious butter cutter delivers one standard pat with each click of the handle.

7. GIANT REMOTE

Never lose your remote again!
With giant buttons, this extra-large remote is easy to use and impossible to lose. It's a 6-in-1 remote so you can use it to control your TV, VCR, DVD player, satellite, cable and auxiliary A/V device. It even features glow-in-the-dark buttons, so you can easily find the remote in the dark.

8. DAYCLOCK

What day is today? You don't know? Then you need a DayClock. It's uniquely designed to keep track of weekly events like your golf day, card night, movie night, and so much more. It's ideal for vacations and cruises when it's easy to lose track of the day.

9. LASER SCISSORS

Cutting a straight line has never been easier. Just aim the pin-point laser and follow the line. The scissor blades are stainless steel and cut very clean with a micro serrated edge.

10. ILLUMINATING CAR SLIPPERS

Do you get up at night to drink water, go to the toilet...Do you wish you could see in the dark? Remarkably bright LED lights are triggered by your footsteps and light up the floor 30 feet in front of you; ultra-soft plush style are extra comfortable and cozy warm.

11. "THE THING" - INFANT PILLOW

The Zaky is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mom to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development. The Zaky can help calm your baby and help your baby sleep better through the night.

12. TRAVELER'S PHRASE BOOK T-SHIRT

If you are traveling a lot and don't always know the language of the country you are visiting, then this T-shirt is for you. It has a phrase book printed on it so just point a finger at the pictogram you need and then point it twice at the question mark, which means, "Where is it?" and in no time you have found what you were looking for... or not.

13. MODERN LADDER

Realy cool modern ladder.

14. LATEST DESIGN WAITER/WAITRESS TRAYS

Anatomic tray, for waiters. No more dropping trays.

15. WHEEL-MOVING BENCH

Whether you want to sit i n the sun or in the shade, near the river or under the tree..... now you have your movable bench, to sit wherever you like.

World's Largest Functional Mobile Phone

2008-02-05T14:44:00.000+08:00

According to the Guinness Book of World Records:

Largest Mobile/Cell Phone

WHO:

Maxi Handy

WHAT:

2.05 x 0.83 x 0.45 m
(6.72 x 2.72 x 1.47 ft)

WHERE:

Rotmain Centre, Bayreuth, Germany

WHEN:

June 7, 2004

The world's largest functioning mobile phone is the Maxi Handy (Maxi Mobile). It measures 2.05 x 0.83 x 0.45 m (6.72 x 2.72 x 1.47 ft) and was installed at the Rotmain Centre, Bayreuth, Germany, on June 7, 2004 as part of the 'einfach mobil' infotour. The phone is made from wood, polyester and metal and features a colour TFT screen. It is fully functional and can send and receive SMS and MMS messages.

Now wouldn't you look like a fool if you called using one of those? LOL.

USB Missile Launcher

2008-01-31T10:57:00.000+08:00

I want one of these! Hahaha. Honestly, it's a pretty useless gadget but it looks fun to play with. It's a missile launcher connected to a computer via USB. It comes with a software that allows you to control the launcher through your keyboard.

I wish I had one of these! Check 'em out:

More Google Versions

2008-01-17T11:32:00.000+08:00

Did you know that Google has more versions of itself aside from the Operating Systems versions that they have? Are the Googlers are just plain bored with that they keep on creating Google versions, or is it their marketing strategy to provide a Google to all walks of life?

Anyway, to keep the story short, here are three Google versions for three different types of people... or animals.

Google for Elmer Fudd
Google Bork
Google in Pig Latin

WOOT!

2007-12-12T17:51:00.000+08:00

I've been using this word for ages, often when playing my online games or when talking to somebody who just had a great victory over someone or something, but I never realized there's more to the word than what it seems!

Did you know that WOOT is actually an acronym originally used by gamers to express victory, joy, or excitement?

WOOT = We Owned the Other Team

Now ain't that a cool definition of the word?
Source: www.unwords.com

Recently, this word has been named as the word of the year by Merriam-Webster!
Isn't that so... Woooooooot!

Thanks Kin for sharing this one!

Number of Horns on a Unicorn

2007-12-07T03:02:00.000+08:00

Yes, this might sound too common sense-ical for you, but did you know that Google actually has the answer if you search for the number of horns on a unicorn?

I'm not exactly sure how the Google Calculator computes for the results. If you enter all other dumb phrases (like "number of alphabets" or the "number of fingers on your right hand"), Google doesn't have the answer for it. But if you enter phrases like:

"Number of months in a year"
or
"number of centimeters in a meter"
and even
"number of horns on a unicorn"

Google has answers for those. Cool eh?

MS Paint Magic

2007-11-24T11:01:00.000+08:00

Wow! It has been more than a month since I last posted here! My apologies for being too busy to update this blog. Work has been insane, and business trips make things even crazier. Anyway, here I am with a new treat for all of you, today: The MS Paint Magic.

We all underestimate the power of MS Paint. After all, there's Adobe Photoshop and Imageready, or Corel Draw to answer our basic picture editing needs. But what we don't know is that our often-taken-for-granted picture editor also has tricks up its sleeve. Let me show you what it's capable of.

1. Stamp Function. MS Paint is capable of capturing part of an object and pasting it multiple times on the image. To do this, simple follow theaw steps:

- Select which part of the image you want to stamp
- Press and hold the CTRL Key, and drag to where you want to stamp the image part
- Click on the area

You will get something like this:

2. Image Scuffing. MS Paint is also able to scuff images. To do this, simply follow these steps:

- Select which part of the image you want to scuff
- Press and hold the SHIFT Key, and drag to make the patterns

You will get something like this:

Cool, huh?

Source: http://www.eeggs.com/items/48789.html

What's Gandalf's Other Job?

2007-10-23T13:27:00.000+08:00

Have you ever wondered what Gandalf's other job is? Well, wonder no more.

Lol.

How Google Works

2007-10-17T13:10:00.001+08:00

I came across THIS SITE and saw how our favorite search engine, Google, works.

Enjoy! :)

Garbage and Trash Trivia

2007-10-15T14:05:00.000+08:00

Hey all, since it's Blog Action Day, and it's time for us to be aware of of our environment, here are a few facts that might help us realize that we really need to REUSE, REDUCE, and RECYCLE. Let's all work together for a cleaner, greener Earth. :)

Most families throw away about 40 kg plastic a year.
Paper products make up approximately 40 percent of our trash.
Every year more than 900 million trees are cut down to provide raw materials for American paper and pulp mills.
Plastic bags and other plastic rubbish thrown into the ocean kill as many as a million sea creatures every year.
To create just 1 kilogram of consumer goods, manufacturers create 5 kilograms of waste.
The energy saved by recycling 1 bottle will power a computer for 25 minutes.
Every year we fill enough garbage trucks to form a line that would stretch from the earth, halfway to the moon.
Americans buy 2,300.000 pairs of shoes a day - enough to cover the bottom of a 17-acre closet with shoe boxes.
One quart of motor oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of water.
The plastic used in one toner cartridge contains about a half quart of oil.
hat styrofoam cup that you drank your coffee out of this morning will still be in the landfill 500 years from now.

Let's clean up our act, friends. :)

SNAFU

2007-10-11T13:19:00.000+08:00

I don't know why it took me THIS long to find this great site. Damn, shame on me. Everything you'll need to humor and amuse yourself is in this site (Well, that is IF you appreciate sarcasm and a lot of wit). Anyway, one of the things that caught my attention is this:

The 2 most important rules in life
1. Don't tell everything you know.

I was scrolling down for the next rule, but I couldn't find it. Then as if hit on the head, the answer dawned on me and ended up rolling my eyes for not thinking "that way." Hahaha!

Be sure to check out Murphy's Laws (on Land and Warfare, on Sex, and on everything else!), Idiots, and Words of Wisdom!

:)

Google's Remedy for Brain Inactivity

2007-10-05T17:27:00.000+08:00

Are you feeling bored? Do you feel as if you're not utilizing your brain at its maximum capacity? Do you want to stimulate yourself intellectually?

Well look no further because our favorite search engine (and probably my favorite company :3) is proud to give us its remedy for brain inactivity. Too bad, though, for us folks outside the US because we won't be able to participate huhuhu. Anyway, they're holding the US Puzzle Championship which is "a national online competition to identify America's most logical minds." For more details, click HERE.

Here are a few samples of their puzzles:

14 cards with digits are placed to make a 3x3 grid of numbers. The totals for the numbers in each row and column are given. Pick up two cards and place them back anywhere in the grid (still face-up) so that the six totals become equal.

Go ahead and try! Hehehe!

Google Fun Facts

2007-09-24T13:03:00.000+08:00

Hey y'all Google-lovers out there! I have stumbled upon a set of Google Fun Facts for all of you today! Here are the most interesting ones:

Google's name is a play on the word googol, which refers to the number 1 followed by one hundred zeroes. The term was coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner, and was popularized in the book, "Mathematics and the Imagination" by Kasner and James Newman. Google's play on the term reflects the company's mission to organize the immense amount of information available on the web.

Google started as a research project at Stanford University, created by Ph.D. candidates Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they were 24 years old and 23 years old respectively (a combined 47 years old).

Google receives daily search requests from all over the world, including Antarctica.Google has a world-class staff of more than 2,668 employees known as Googlers. The company headquarters is called the Googleplex.

Googlers are multifaceted. One operations manager, who keeps the Google network in good health is a former neurosurgeon. One software engineer is a former rocket scientist. And the company's chef formerly prepared meals for members of The Grateful Dead and funkmeister George Clinton.

When Google was a Stanford research project, it was nicknamed BackRub because the technology checks backlinks to determine a site's importance.

Source: http://www.google.com/press/funfacts.html

How To Create A Log File in Notepad

2007-09-21T12:18:00.000+08:00

Author's Note: Wow, it's been some time since my last post. Sorry mates, I've been busy with work that I have neglected my blogs for a few days. But now, I'm back with new stuff that you'll definitely find interesting!

Did you know that you can actually create a log file using Windows Notepad without having to do coding, scripting, or all that programming thingamagigs software developers do? Here's how:

1. Open Notepad
2. Type .LOG on the first line, and then press [Enter] to move to the next line
3. Save your file on a directory you can easily navigate to.

The next time you open the file, you will notice that the current date and time have been appended to the end of the text you entered.

Sweet eh?

Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260563

The 248-dimension map

2007-09-17T15:59:00.000+08:00

So what's a dimension? According to Wiki,

a dimension (Latin, "measured out") is a parameter or measurement required to define the characteristics of an object. In math, dimensions are the parameters required to describe the position and relevant characteristics of any object within a conceptual space—where the dimension of a space is the total number of different parameters used for all possible objects considered in the model.

Okay, so I admit that in this lifetime, I only know 4 dimensions: the usual spatial coordinates X, Y, and Z (length, width, and height) + time. But get this, mathematicians for the past four years and with the help of supercomputers have actually constructed a map of 248 dimensions!! Wow! Something like that is definitely beyond my imagination. So what are the remaining 244 dimensions? Hmmn, let's see... Volume, Smell, Sensation, Color? What else?

For the full story, click HERE.

Windows Vista: The Cost

2007-09-13T09:26:00.000+08:00

This eureka moment is brought to you by Lance (daemonx87@hotmail.com)

Did you know that the 27 kilometre Large Hadron Collider (the soon to be World's Largest Particle Accelerator) located at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland is funded approximately about $6 billion dollars almost the same as the fund poured by Microsoft to developed it's new operating system Windows Vista.

Wow! Now that's A LOT of money. But is Vista really that worth it? I'm really not into the Vista hype. I mean, I've seen how it looks and I'm amazed at how they've managed to integrate Mac-style graphical interface with the classic Windows theme. But it's still Windows. And for all I know, it's probably just like any other Windows OS -- fear the blue screen!

Eureka!

2007-09-07T15:08:00.000+08:00

I was reading my other blog and came across a eureka post last year. Let me just share it with everyone:

Cellular phone signals DO NOT interfere with air control signals. Although Federal law states that it's forbidden to use any cellular phone on an airplane for the very reason that it might cause interference with the air control frequencies, the Mythbusters have proven this wrong. Cellular signals travel through a different frequency. The danger though, is that new phones are being developed everyday, and you'll never know when someone invents a phone that travels the same frequency as that of radio waves. (Source: Mythbusters)

The scientific name of a fart is actually a FLATUS. (Source: Mythbusters)

Flying a kite with a key on the far end of the string on a normal day (like Ben Franklin's experiment) will still cause some voltage to build up on the string and the key up to 20,000 volts. This voltage, though, is not strong enough to ignite sparks. A lightning strike on the kite will, however, fry the person if he touches the key on the far end of the string. (Source: Mythbusters)

Bees can produce 3x the amount of honey that they need. They can also sting just once in their lives, because as soon as they sting someone or something, they leave the tiny needles on their back. Those needles are actually vital organs, which means every sting causes them to lose a vital part of their bodies. And soon after that, they die. (Source: Inquiring minds)

Crazy Earring: Gadget!!

2007-09-05T13:15:00.000+08:00

This is crazy!!! New fashion statement!? Argh!

If you don't have a purse or a bag, let your earlobes carry your mobile phone for you!
Source: www.boingboing.net

Windows Can't Create Blank Folders

2007-09-04T10:03:00.000+08:00

Did you know that you cannot create a blank folder in Windows?

If you rename it to [BLANK] (that is, delete the Folder Name), Windows will automatically rename it back to the Folder Name.

Even if you rename it to (' ') SPACE, Windows will still rename it back to its Folder Name.

But! Here's a technique I'll share with you on how to rename your folder to blank:

Highlight the folder you want to rename
Press F2, or Right-click > Rename
Hold [ALT]
Press the number keys: [2] [5] [5]

And you'll get a blank to use for your folder!
An alternative for this is also using [ALT] + 0160.

Why is that? Well, learn your Ascii, my friend!

YouTube: Unbanned and Hacked

2007-09-03T10:04:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, the Thai government said that it has lifted the 4-month ban on YouTube. This is in response to the video-sharing web site's operator agreeing to not allow videos that violate the country's laws or are offensive to the Thai population. If we can recall, the government blocked access to YouTube on April 4 after Google (YouTube owner) turned down Thailand's request to remove clips that were offensive to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the country's revered monarch.

What video clip are we talking about? Well, let's just say shoes were pointing towards the king's image with the Thailand national anthem playing on the background.

The Thai must be missing a lot without YouTube on their daily to-surf-list. That's what they get for not respecting royalty! Shame, shame.

For more details, click here.

On the other hand, the video-sharing giant was recently used by a group of hackers -- called Storm Botnet -- to propagate the latest worm to make zombies out of your PC's and do the bidding of their botmasters.

The hackers sent barrages of e-mails out over the weekend, inviting people to watch a scandalous video of themselves on YouTube.

The e-mail then offers up what appears to be a link to the clip. The link, of course, does not go to YouTube. It sends the victims to servers that download malicious apps.
Full story Here.

The lesson? Don't just open any email with a suspicious sender or subject. That's the first tip in preventing malwares entering your system. Also don't fall prey to the glory that YouTube videos are offering. I know, they can be very tempting, but for all you know, a lot of people are just abusing YouTube's popularity.

Things You Didn't Know about your Brain

2007-08-30T09:33:00.001+08:00

For several centuries, the mysteries of the brain have left scientists hanging -- trying to explain the powerful functions of the brain and the things it can do. Even now, they're still trying to figure out how information is coded in the brain, or how memories are stored and retrieved from the nerve cells or neurons of the brain. Nobody knows the answers.... yet. Anyway, here are the interesting things you didn't know about your brain:

You have a fat head: Neuron cell membranes are made from fatty acids. (LOL!)
Even though our bodies weigh about the same, our brains are 10 times heavier than a sheep’s.
The brains of 2-year-olds consume twice as much energy as do adult brains. (Wow, does that mean kids use their brains much more than adults do?)
Antidepressants such as Prozac stimulate the growth of new neurons in the brain. So does exercise. (Oh crap, I need to exercise then...)
From birth, the brain matures from back to front. With aging, it degenerates in the opposite pattern.

For the complete article, please visit this site.

Women and Sexuality

2007-08-28T15:15:00.000+08:00

I found this very disturbing article after visiting Sir Tiger's blog and coming across one of his posts regarding the same article. The article talks about The History Of Love: how it has been portrayed and exemplified over time since pagan times. What's interesting about it is how women's status have evolved over time, and how the perception of sex has changed with the entry of Christianity. Anyway, here are some of the most interesting eureka moments I've had with the article:

High class prostitutes and courtesans were held superior to wives and "virtuous" women. (During the Golden Age of Greece)
Pagan love in Rome was guilt-free, lusty, unfaithful and deceitful. (Roman Empire - 27 BC - 385 AD)
Abortions and contraception were common. Babies were often discarded as garbage. (Roman Empire - 27 BC - 385 AD) <-- OMFG!
The Catholics argued that women did not have a mortal soul and debated if women were even human. (Rise of Christianity and the Dark Ages - 385 AD - 1000 AD) <--- What the hell!?
Christian marital sex was performed only in one position and never during penance nor on Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays, holiday seasons, and then only to conceive a child. (Rise of Christianity and the Dark Ages - 385 AD - 1000 AD)

Well anyway, I don't know if there's any truth to the article. But if you read the article, it's just crazy to think people were like that during ancient times. Haha, all for the sake of religion... or is it faith? Ah, what the heck.

Torrent Without the Client

2007-08-23T14:42:00.000+08:00

For all you torrent-noobs out there, my good friend Paulo has discovered that you can actually download files through torrent without a client (Meaning, no uTorrent, no Azureus, etc).

Just go to this site: BITLET
And paste the URL of the torrent metafile on the textbox
Then click "Download Torrent"

And you're done!

P.S. This is for BOK and for my dad, who are clueless about downloading via torrents.

Water Crash Landing To Do's

2007-08-22T09:40:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, I had nothing better to do than watch TV, and since it's early in the morning, the shows I usually like aren't being aired yet. And so i flipped the remote to Discovery Channel, and one of the shows I've always wanted to watch but never got its schedule was on: Mythbusters. I instantly got hooked to what they were showing me.

The first myth they were trying to bust was on cars submerged in water. The myth is that you can escape a car submerged in water only if the interior is flooded as well. Surprisingly, the myth is true! Haha, in case your car gets submerged (God-forbid) and you're inside, you'd have to prepare yourself for the big plunge -- meaning, hold your breath -- and wait until the interior is totally flooded so you can easily escape. This is because the pressure INSIDE the car equals with the pressure outside, and that makes it easier for you to push the door.

Some other discoveries related to this myth are:

You CAN escape the car that has fallen into the water IF the water inside the car is at ankle level or knee level. This is because the pressure outside is not yet strong enough to push the doors and keep it shut.
You CAN STILL escape the car that has fallen into the water IF the water inside the car is at waist level, however it will require great strength from you to match the pressure being exerted by the water outside.
You CANNOT escape a car that has fallen into the water IF the water covers the car window from the outside. The pressure will keep the doors from opening.
You CANNOT open the windows of a car that has fallen into the water unless you use hammer-like (or with pointed-tip tools) to break the glass. Which means, you can't open it using manual crank or power windows because the pressure is too great.

Interesting eh? And here's another extra myth they busted: A piece of paper cannot be folded (in perpendicular halves) more than seven times. They tried it using ordinary letter-sized bond paper, and they couldn't fold it more than 7 times. Then they tried using a larger paper (Table-sized), but they still couldn't fold it more than 7 times. The reason here is that each time you fold the paper, the number of layers grow exponentially (1 fold = 2 layers; 2 folds = 4; 3 folds =8, 4 folds = 16; 5 folds = 32; 6 folds = 64; 7 folds = 128). Imagine folding over 128 layers of 3/100 of a inch of paper! So what they did to bust this myth? They went bigger and thinner. They laid out a football-field sized paper interconnected with double-sided adhesive tape! As a result, they were able to fold the paper 11 times.

For more details on the Mythbusters, visit HERE.

Penguins: Emo Discovery

2007-08-17T13:46:00.000+08:00

I was browsing the net for some emo blobs and this is what I found:

Haha, I didn't know penguins were like that. I'm guessing it was just made up by one of those emo kids. Well anyway, I thought it was cute and sweet. A eureka moment for me. =P

Back to Google Stuff

2007-08-16T09:57:00.000+08:00

Okay, after taking a break on researching Google stuff, I have finally come across some interesting finds. Once a year, Google geniuses develop a page that would drive users nuts on April Fool's Day. Here are some interesting pages that they've come up with:

The Google Romance Finder:

Are single, lonely, and miserable? Fear not, Google has the answer you've been looking for! If you want to find the perfect date, the perfect somebody to hold you so tight, then go to Google Romance right NOW!

The Google MentalPlex

If you want faster and smarter searching on the internet, then the MentalPlex is the answer. Its hypnotizing powers draw in the positive vibrations of hundreds of fortune tellers and astrologers in the world.

The Google Pigeon Rank

Have you ever wondered how Google delivers your search inquiries fast and accurate? Well, wonder no more because the big company has finally revealed how it works its magic. Behold the PigeonRank: Google's army of hardworking birds to give you the best results.

Hehehe, simply shows that Google has a great sense of humor. Damn, I wish I were one of their employees. Haha, bitter.

Photoshop 7.0 Hidden Secrets

2007-08-13T09:52:00.000+08:00

I have always been a fan of Adobe Photoshop. When my creative juices start to overflow, there's no better outlet than this powerful imaging tool. It's funny, though, that I've been using this application for a few years already, but it's only now that I found some hidden secrets within Photoshop. The creators just had to be creative, eh?

Well you see, the first secret I'm going to share with you is the "alternate" credits to Adobe Photoshop. If you click on Help > About Photoshop, you'll get the application logo (the one with an eye and a microscope and a seashore -- weird logo). But when you click on [CTRL] and then Help > About Photoshop, you'll get something different! Weird, here's how the two credits look like:

Source: www.eggheaven.com

Also, out of pure curiousity, I just read the scrolling credits. There are A LOT of funny credit lines there, you'd just have to wait for them =P. Here's an example:

The last line there would be "And of course, thanks to , our favorite customer." Hehehehe.

The GPhone: Facts or Fiction?

2007-08-10T10:23:00.000+08:00

With the big hype that the iPhone made, Google has started its own project of re-creating that hype with the rumored development of their own handset: the gPhone, or the Google Phone. Here are some "rumors" that have made its way on the internet:

- The gPhone will be built on a Linux-based operating system
- Google is working on a sophisticated new Web browser for mobile phones
- Hundreds of millions have been invested for the development of the GPhone
- Google has already developed prototype phones, LG as one of its partners
- HTC Corporation (High Tech Computer) will be the ones to develop the OS

Facts or Fiction? I'm not so sure. But I'm not that excited with this gPhone. It's just that this is not Google's specialty. I have my doubts, but then again, we'll just have to wait and see. If the mobile Google is as powerful as its world wide web counterpart, then why not?

Sources: www.gizmodo.com; www.engadget.com

Google for your OS

2007-08-08T10:00:00.000+08:00

Did you know, Google has created versions of its search engine for Windows, Linux, and BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution)? If you don't know what those three are, they are called your Operating Systems or OS, the main brain of your computer. Well anyway, for more information on the what the OS is, you may visit the OS Wiki.

The Google - Windows version is characterized by the Google sign on the Windows default wallpaper, Bliss. The Linux version injects the iconic penguin in the logo. Finally, the BSD version shows the devil icon of the OS on the logo.

There used to be a Mac version, but for some reason, it isn't there anymore. For now, if you look at the page, it just displays the accessories you can get for your Mac.

Source: www.eggheaven.com

Windows Pinball Cheats!

2007-08-06T10:00:00.000+08:00

Do you want to beat Windows Pinball? There are two ways:

Infinite Pinballs:

Open Windows Pinball
Type bmax
Launch the ball.

No matter how many times you drop the ball, it will just come up again. That eliminates your problem of constantly falling off.

Control your Pinball:

Open Windows Pinball
Type hidden test
Launch the ball.

Click and hold on the ball. Notice that wherever you steer your mouse to, the ball goes with it. Now you can control the ball and hit wherever you like!

Source: http://www.tech-recipes.com/windows_games_tips1052.html

Privacy Scarf: WTF!?

2007-08-03T10:01:00.000+08:00

I was browsing through really useless gadgets when I stumbled upon this awful invention: The Techno Privacy Scarf. What it does: well, it gives you privacy when you're using your PC, your Ipod or PDA, or your mobile phone. At what cost? Let's just say you might get hit by a bus while you're using it. Lol.

Photo courtesy of: www.techneblog.com

MS Word Hidden Text Generator

2007-08-02T09:28:00.000+08:00

Our favorite document editor, MS Word, has a hidden function! This is called the RAND function, oftentimes called an Easter Egg, and sometimes feared as a virus. It is actually a Word function that's undocumented in the online Help, but documented in the MS Knowledge Base.

According to the article, this function:

Microsoft Word allows you to quickly insert sample text into a document. To do this, type =rand() in the document where you want the text to appear, and then press ENTER.

The inserted text is that hardy perennial: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,” which contains every letter in the English alphabet.

The first number is the number of paragraphs, and the second the number of sentences per paragraph.

Here's how to do it:

Open a new document file
Type =rand (X,Y) where X and Y are random numbers
Press Enter

Surprising, huh?
Source: http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/DummyText.htm

Windows XP Hidden Font/Icon Editor

2007-08-01T09:34:00.000+08:00

Did you know that Windows XP has a hidden utility for editing fonts and/or icons? Well, let's face it. We don't really maximize all the utilities that Windows gives us, we only usually run those apps that we know exist. Anyway, Windows provides us with this powerful application that allows us to create icons, fonts, and even logos!

Behold the EUDCEDIT.

To access this program, do the following:

Go to Start > Run
Type eudcedit. Press Enter.

You get this:

Source: http://www.asnee.com/blog/?p=595

Blackle is the NEW Google

2007-07-31T10:17:00.000+08:00

In an article written by Mark Ontkush, he points out that "an all white web page uses about 74 watts to display, while an all black page uses only 59 watts." According to him,

Take at look at Google, who gets about 200 million queries a day. Let's assume each query is displayed for about 10 seconds; that means Google is running for about 550,000 hours every day on some desktop. Assuming that users run Google in full screen mode, the shift to a black background will save a total of 15 (74-59) watts. That turns into a global savings of 8.3 Megawatt-hours per day, or about 3000 Megawatt-hours a year. Now take into account that about 25 percent of the monitors in the world are CRTs, and at 10 cents a kilowatt-hour, that's $75,000, a goodly amount of energy and dollars for changing a few color codes.

In response to this, Google created a black version of its search engine. The Blackle has the exact same functions as the white version, but with lower energy consumption. Check it out at www.blackle.com. Here's a snapshot of the black version:

The Secret Behind Nokia's Messaging Tones

2007-07-30T10:44:00.000+08:00

Did you know that Nokia's SMS alert tones ("Standard", "Special" and "Ascending") are actually morse codes?

The Standard tone actually stands for M (Message)
Morse code: [- -]

The Special tone actually stands for SMS
Morse code: [. . .] [- -] [. . .]

The Ascending tone stands for Connecting People
Morse code: [- . - .] [- - -] [- .] [- .] [.] [- . - .] [-] [. .] [- .] [- - .] [. - - .] [.] [- - -] [. - - .] [. - . .] [.]

If you'd like to translate English to Morse code, here's a good site:
Morse Code Online Translator

Hidden Tetris Game at uTorrent!

2007-07-26T15:29:00.000+08:00

We have all come to love torrents. And for me, probably the best BitTorrent client is µTorrent (also known as microTorrent). Why? Because: 1) it's freeware; 2) it uses minimum computer resources -- only 213KB total in size; 3) it offers the same functionalities as other powerful Java-based clients such as Azureus and BitComet.

Recently, I was reading about how "hidden pictures" can be obtained just by clicking like crazy on the About page of any application. So I tried doing it on most of the applications I'm running. And uTorrent was one of them.

Here's what I've found out:

Open the uTorrent application
Select the menu Help > About
Press [T]

And a tetris game begins!

Also, if you click on the logo, music will be played. Hehehe, this is what you get for tinkering with your applications, especially when bored. =P

Weird Notepad Bug

2007-07-24T10:53:00.000+08:00

I read this in another website, that Notepad (our favorite Windows text editor) has a bug! If you enter a series of letters and words, you will get a weird (and I mean weird) result. The result I got was a series of Chinese characters. I'm not sure if yours will differ. Anyway, here's how to do it:

1. Open Notepad
2. Type pats has the power (in small letters)
3. Save the document, and close notepad
4. Open the saved file

Here's the result I got (Click the image to enlarge):

Hehehe cool, ain't it?

Well the reason behind that, says JOECOOL (vulcanlogic7@yahoo.com), is that:

In notepad, any other 4-3-3-5 letter word combo will have the same results.
It is all to do with a limitation in Windows. Text files containing Unicode UTF-16-encoded Unicode are supposed to start with a "Byte-Order Mark" (BOM), which is a two-byte flag that tells a reader how the following UTF-16 data is encoded.

Sorry but I'm not an ultra-techie person and I absolutely don't know what that meant, so if anyone can care to explain that in layman's term, that would be great!

Sources: http://bink.nu/Article7429.bink; www.eeggs.com

Mozilla Firefox Treats

2007-07-23T10:08:00.000+08:00

Here are yet another set of nifty tricks you can do with Mozilla Firefox:

-------------------------------------

Firefox within Firefox

Open your Mozilla Firefox
In the address bar, type the following URL: chrome://browser/content/browser.xul

See what happens :)

-------------------------------------

The Firefox Joke

Open your Mozilla Firefox
In the address bar, type the following: about:mozilla

You will see the following text (Sorry Spoiler =P):

"And so at last the beast fell and the unbelievers rejoiced. But all was not lost, for from the ash rose a great bird. The bird gazed down upon the unbelievers and cast fire and thunder upon them. For the beast had been reborn with its strength renewed, and the followers of Mammon cowered in horror."
- From The Book of Mozilla, 7:15

It's up to you to interpret what it says. Mammon, Microsoft, Beast, Internet Explorer... Ladeedadeeda...

Source: www.eeggs.com

Solitaire Secrets!

2007-07-22T09:07:00.000+08:00

Playing Windows Solitaire has always been one of my past-time-games, especially when I have nothing to do, and I have my laptop with me, and I don't feel like playing other complicated games. I just hate it when I couldn't win the 3-card Mode. Hahaha. Well, for all ya cheaters out there, here are some Solitaire tricks to dominate the game:

To turn one card at a time in a 3-cards over mode, hold down: [CTRL] + [ALT] + [SHIFT], and click the card.

To instantly win the game, simply press [ALT] + [SHIFT] + 2.

You Win!

More Windows Secrets

2007-07-18T09:45:00.000+08:00

In addition to the Windows hotkeys from my previous post, there are more Windows secrets than we already know. Let me share some of them with you. (Sorry Linux users, I'm a total noob when it comes to your OS so I'll just make use of what I have =P)

Did you know, you can't create a folder named con anywhere in Windows? I don't know why, but I think it's supposed to be a command to the system. Weird. [Info given by Marc]

If you're too tired of right clicking your files to see its properties, one alternative is to press [ALT] + [ENTER] on the selected item.

Did you know that you can also rename multiple files at once? Select them all, right click and select Rename. Enter the desired name. They will be renamed using what you specified, with a number in parentheses to distinguish them.

To restore your minimized windows (through [Windows Key] + [M]), you can press: [Windows Key] + [Shift] + [M].

Did you know that you can invert your screen instantly (For Windows XP only)? Simply click the following:
[CTRL] + [ALT] + [Down Arrow]: to invert the screen
[CTRL] + [ALT] + [Up Arrow]: to undo the inversion

All Around Trivia

2007-07-16T10:42:00.000+08:00

Did you know...

If you drop Kalamansi* seeds in a glass of beer, the seeds will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

* Kalamansi = Philippines Local Lemon

A passionate kiss uses up 6.4 calories per minute.
During a kiss as many as 278 bacteria colonies are exchanged.

The longest official city name in the world is: Krungthep Mahanakhon Amorn Rattanakosin Mahintara Yudthaya Mahadilok Pohp Noparat Rajathanee Bureerom Udomrajniwes Mahasatarn Amorn Pimarn Avaltarnsatit Sakatattiya Visanukram Prasit. It is the official name of Bangkok, Thailand.

Smoking makes it almost impossible for a male to have a natural erection and it shrinks the penis. It also reduces the mobility of sperm.

Note: Trivia items were gathered from friends' emails, chats, and conversations.

What have you discovered today?

2007-07-12T15:32:00.000+08:00

Great discoveries come from small finds.
What have you discovered today?

Hahaha, to heck with that introduction. I couldn't find anything more dramatic than that. Anyway, cliche-ic as it may seem, great finds do come from small discoveries (I just jumbled up the words above! Hahaha).

It's these small things we find out everyday that sometimes we forget, but that often matters the most. The small things that can change the way we look at things, or even the way we live. Small things that we take for granted, but often times have the most impact. Little do we know that as we find something out, we are one step closer to the absolute Truth. The little things stack until they fill our pool of knowledge.

When the moment of truth arrives, it's Eureka!